CLEVELAND -- Browns kicker Phil Dawson has signed his one-year tender as the club's franchise player.
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It's the second straight year the steady Dawson, who has been with the Browns since its 1999 expansion rebirth, has been tagged. General manager Tom Heckert recently said the team would like to sign the 37-year-old Dawson to a long-term contract.
Dawson, who will make $3.8 million next season, is coming off one of his best years. He converted 24 of 29 field goals, making seven beyond 50 yards.
He is the club's career leader in field goals and second (1,115 points) in scoring to Hall of Famer Lou Groza (1,349). Dawson has made 83 percent (276 of 332) of his field-goal attempts and has been remarkably consistent in the tricky, windy conditions at Browns Stadium.
Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press
